President of Malta, Edward Fenech Adami, addressed the confederation of Polish Employers on Monday, in an official visit to the Republic of Poland where he was accompanied by a Maltese business delegation.

The President of Malta emphasized the two countries long-standing diplomatic relationship which was established on the 23rd of October 1971.

He said that the polish citizens in Malta are mainly found in the services sector. He said that in recent years, Polish IT specialists have been engaged by Maltese branches of various international companies; while others run their small companies in the transportation and tourism sectors while others are employed in gastronomy and hotel services.

The accession of Malta and Poland to the EU in May 2004 has also been economically beneficial to both countries. It has simplified trade exchanges and investment flow. Statistical figures indicate that bilateral exchanges have almost doubled since EU membership but are still well below their potential, the President said.

He also urged on the importance of exchanging business delegations on a more regular and systematic basis.

He made reference to the Maltese business delegation which of financial turbulence and global economic slowdown demonstrates the unfaltering confidence of our entrepreneurs to do business and to internationalise.

He also took the opportunity to urge the Polish to invest in Malta

The record number of tourist arrivals from Poland reached in 2006 with 6,572 tourists has even improved in 2008 with provisional data for January-November reaching 6,899, Edward Fenech Adami said.

The removal of boarder controls, subsequent to the two countries accession to the Schengen Area, Edward Fenech Adami said allowed free travel without any bureaucratic obstacles.